1922: The Knickerbocker Storm

Late January of 1922 saw the Virginia and North Carolina experience one of the greatest snowstorms ever recorded in the region. Automobile and truck traffic had just become established as the main mode of transport for people and goods in the region and the storm of January 27 1922 brought that traffic to a complete halt for more than a week. With virtually no way to clean off the roads connecting farms and towns over a wide expanse of the countryside, travel just stopped. Almost 20” of snow fell in Richmond, Virginia; two feet in Washington DC and Baltimore and in Roxboro, North Carolina an incredible 36” of snow fell. The storm would become known as the Knickerbocker storm because the 2 feet of snow that fell in Washington D. C., caused the roof of the Knickerbocker theatre to collapse crushing those in attendance and killing over 100 movie patrons.

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